Second Battle of Alnus Hill
'Battle of Alnus Hill '''was the first battle the JSDF fought in the Special Region, which ended in a decisive defeat for the Empire and a dramatic weakening of Imperial military and power due to severe casualties. Prelude After the defeat at the Battle of Ginza and the subsequent Japan Self-Defense Forces invasion of the Special Region, Emperor Molt Sol Augustus gathered an army of 100,000 Imperial soldiers provided by his vassal states, including Elbe, Mudwan, Alguna, and Ligu. These forces were ostensibly sent to repel the invaders and send them back across the Gate. In truth, however, Augustus realized the JSDF was far more powerful than his armies, and in fact, sent his rivals with the intention that they would be killed in battle. First Imperial Assault The first attack on the JSDF positions were by the armies of the Alguna, Mudwan, and League. The body of the Imperial Army, including infantry, cavalry, and goblin auxiliaries marched into a "fire zone" set up by the JSDF, ignoring warning signs (written in the Imperial language) placed by the JSDF. The Imperial forces were fired upon by JSDF artillery and devastated. In the first attack, 10,000 were killed and the rest were forced to retreat. It was presumed that the Kings of Alguna and Mudwan, as well as the Duke of League, were among the dead. Second Imperial Assault The second Imperial attack was similarly unsuccessful, with the Imperial forces being easily repulsed by the far superior modern weaponry of the JSDF, including artillery and entrenched Type 74 main battle tanks. Attempts to employ dragon riders were similarly unsuccessful, and the dragon riders were shot down by JSDF Type 87 mobile anti-aircraft guns. In the second assault, 40,000 Imperial troops were killed. Third Imperial Assault After retreating a second time, Duran launched a night attack, intended to catch the JSDF by surprise. While his forces managed to advance closer to the JSDF positions, they were detected through the use of night vision equipment and flares. The JSDF forces fired artillery and small arms at the Imperials, which their shields proved useless against. As his men fell around him, Duran managed to fire a single arrow at the JSDF positions, though it is unclear if it hit anyone, but most likely not as Duran mentioned he never made it further than halfway uphill, shortly before being severely wounded by mortar or artillery fire, losing his left arm and leg. In the third assault, 20,000 Imperial troops were killed. Aftermath After the battle, the bodies of the Imperial troops were presumably buried in a mass grave using heavy excavating machinery. At the same time, the JSDF began construction of a more permanent base at Alnus, including defensive walls and machine gun nests, barracks, command posts, armories, supply warehouses, motor pools, and even an air base. When Emperor Augustus heard the news of the defeat, he ordered a scorched earth campaign in an attempt to slow the JSDF advance, however, it did little to slow the advance of the modern, highly mechanized JSDF forces. After the defeat, the Empire lost significant amounts of military and political power, and was no longer able to control the area surrounding the Gate, including the village of Coda and the city of Italica. Both of these cities quickly fell under the JSDF sphere of influence in the Special Region. Many survivors of the Imperial Army deserted and became bandits, who attempted to seize control of Italica, but were defeated with JSDF support during the Battle of Italica. Gallery Alnus imperials.png|Troops of the Allied Army advance on Alnus Hill. alnus artillery.png|Artillery fire strikes the Imperial Army during the first assault. Alnus aftermath.png|The aftermath of the first allied army assault. Alnus tanks.png|JSDF Type 74 tanks fired on enemy troops from entrenched positions. Kingdom of Elbe 9.png|Troops of the Kingdom of Elbe form ''testudo/tortoise formation with their shields. This proves to be useless against JSDF small arms fire. Duran's last shot.png|Duran fires a single arrow at JSDF positions, shortly before being severely wounded by artillery fire. Category:Terminology